The West Midlands is one of the UK’s biggest and best dance hubs, with venues hosting everything from classical ballets to snake-hipped Strictly stars strutting their samba stuff. Here’s a selection of productions hot-shoe shuffling their way into the region over the next few weeks...

EMERALD STORM

From gentle ballet to fiery salsa, and from Irish dance to modern tap, the critically acclaimed Emerald Storm offers something for dance fans of every persuasion.  

The high-energy show has been co-written and co-choreographed by Australian tap dancer and two-time Olivier Award nominee Adam Garcia. Expect mesmerising moves and lightning footwork aplenty...  

Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent, Saturday 5 September; Kidderminster Town Hall, Wednesday 9 September; Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Wednesday 23 September; The Albany Theatre, Coventry, Friday 23 October; Lichfield Garrick, Monday 29 October; Palace Theatre, Redditch, Friday 6 November   

BIRMINGHAM ROYAL BALLET: SWAN LAKE

Birmingham Royal Ballet here presents its much-loved Sir Peter Wright & Galina Samsova version of a timeless favourite.

Set to Tchaikovsky’s mesmerising score. Swan Lake tells the story of Odette, a beautiful princess who, caught under the spell of the evil Von Rothbart, must spend the daytime hours as a swan, returning to human form only when night falls... 

A sumptuous visual feast, the production offers a spectacle which is ideal for the first-time trier as well as the more-seasoned ballet-goer.

Credit: Céline Gittens as Odette and Odile. © Manvir Rai.

Birmingham Hippodrome, Wednesday 23 September - Saturday 3 October

LORD OF THE DANCE

Since catapulting traditional Irish music and folk dance into the limelight back in the mid-1990s (ably assisted in so doing by the similarly sensational Riverdance, of course), Michael Flatley’s choreographed adventure, Lord Of The Dance, has become an international phenomenon. 

These Midlands stop-offs form part of a nationwide tour to celebrate 30 years of the hit show, during which time Lord Of The Dance has visited 1,000-plus venues in a total of 60 countries and entertained in excess of 60 million people. If you’ve not yet been among them, then this is the perfect opportunity to catch up with one of the world’s most successful dance extravaganzas. The latest production comes complete with new choreography and features over 150,000 taps per performance.  

The Alexandra, Birmingham, Monday 28 September - Sunday 4 October 

OCKHAM'S RAZOR

Highly rated aerial theatre company Ockham’s Razor are back in the region with a show that features two performers who are well-versed in the business of working with one another. 

Having made circus together for 20 years, the company’s artistic directors, Alex Harvey and Charlotte Mooney, are here returning with a production which sees them taking a deep-dive into the challenges of navigating a relationship while ‘trying to make something with someone else’... The show is a last hurrah as performers for husband & wife team Alex and Charlotte. Following the birth of their daughter, they decided to focus their attention on the challenges of directing shows, so are framing the production, which is titled Collaborator, as a ‘farewell to performing’.  

Malvern Theatres, Tuesday 29 September

BALLROOM FEVER

One-time Strictly Come Dancing professional Flavia Cacace is the big-name draw for this brand-new ballroom and Latin American dance extravaganza. The show is promising to take its audience on a truly dazzling journey, experienced in the company of a cast of international champion dancers. 

Swan Theatre, Worcester, Tuesday 29 September